Already in Love
by Alex202
Summary: They're already in love, now what? Post Deathly Hallows. Snippets of the romance between Harry and Ginny from their engagement to their marriage.
1. A Ring

**Disclaimer: Potterverse belongs to J.K. Rowling.**

Chapter 1: A Ring

"I really should be getting home," Ginny murmured, although not moving a muscle. "If I wait too much longer my parents are going to be awake, and then I will have to face them."

"You know Ginny," Harry replied, "It's not that I want to insinuate anything or imply that I know your parents better than you, but I am pretty sure they are aware we have done the deed. We have been together four years after all."

Ginny had to take what Harry was saying into consideration. After all she was very comfortable like this. She had her head snuggled into the crook between his chest and his neck, and she liked the gentle shivers up her spine that came as he stroked her hair. As such she chose her response very carefully, "If it were up to me I would stop time and we would stay like this forever. However I don't have those powers and thus, I must be getting home. My parents don't like the idea of their only daughter not coming home at night. And besides, my clothes are at the Burrow."

"Well what if staying here meant staying home Ginny? I fail to understand why you haven't moved in yet."

"I wasn't aware the offer was there Harry."

Harry moved his head slightly so he was looking down at her nose, which she still had yet to pick up from the pillow. "I'm sorry Gin, I thought the offer was assumed. Well now I am asking, would you like to move in with me?"

Ginny finally decided the time was right to lift her head. Moving in for a kiss she smiled at Harry. "Thank you very much indeed Harry. You know I love you and I love the offer but I promised myself many years ago that I would never move in with a boy unless I was engaged."

"Oh," Harry said, frowning slightly, "I guess that makes sense."

"Well thank you for being so understanding. You are really quite extraordinary Harry."

"Extraordinary enough for you to move in with me?" Harry piqued.

Ginny laughed and gave Harry a playful swat on the nose. "Cute, but I am still not moving in with you. And I still have to get going."

"Or you could stay," Harry suggested. But it was too late. Ginny had already disentangled herself from his sheets and his arms. She threw on his bathrobe and leaned in for another kiss,

"I love you very much Harry Potter."

"I love you too Ginny Weasley," Harry said through the kiss. Ginny pulled away far too quickly in his opinion and headed for the bathroom. Dejected Harry slumped his back onto his pillow.

Once he heard the shower streaming down he decided that he might as well follow suit and get out of bed. He pulled his favorite trousers off the floor and onto his legs. Before heading for the kitchen he pulled something small out of his nightstand and tucked it into his trouser pocket. He had hardly noticed the sunlight poking in through his bedroom drapes so walking into the living room came as something of a shock. The sunlight managed to blind him before he got the chance to wave his wand and close the living room drapes. "Bloody hell," he muttered to himself, "it must be later than I thought."

Moving into the kitchen he popped some bread into the toaster and started the coffee. Stealing a glance at his old watch he realized that he had to be at work in nearly an hour. Time was moving far too quickly in his opinion, he had planned on having much more than this.

By the time Ginny came out of the shower Harry was well situated with _The Daily Prophet_, his toast, and his morning coffee. Giving Harry a quick peck on the cheek as she came in Ginny moved towards on the coffee.

"No Gin, you sit. I'll grab you your coffee."

Ginny sat, and though grateful couldn't fully hide her puzzlement. Harry was seldom chivalrous early in the morning. Never the less, her pleasure won out as she watched him putter about the kitchen. She couldn't stop herself from studying the way his muscles moved as he milled about. Like a fine wine Harry, and his body, had definitely improved with age.

"So Ginny, did you decide to move in with me yet?" Harry asked with his back still turned.

"Ah," Ginny thought to herself, "this explains the chivalry." Trying to keep the smile out of her voice she countered back, "sorry Harry but my answer stays. I am not moving in with you or any other boy until I get a ring on this finger."

Harry turned around and placed her coffee on the counter in front of her. Leaning over he brushed a wisp of hair out of her face and then whispered in her ear, "you sure?"

"Boy he is not making this easy," Ginny thought. She managed to gulp out an "uh huh" before Harry pulled away.

"Well than," he said brusquely, "will that ring do?"

Ginny looked to the spot where had gestured and sitting on the counter next to her coffee was a ring. Harry must have slipped it there when he moved in for the whisper. "I… Uh… What?" She stammered.

"Ginny," Harry said as he took the ring and moved around the counter so that he was standing in front of her, "I have loved you since I was sixteen years old. You are the first girl I fell in love with and I want you to be the last. I have been ready to marry you for four years and just had to wait until I thought you were ready."

Harry dropped to one knee and held the ring in front of him. "Will you marry me Ginny Weasley?"

"Harry you dolt!" Ginny exclaimed as she reached down to kiss him, "of course I will!" Harry kissed Ginny back before slipping the ring on her finger. It was very simple, and very beautiful. Ginny thought it was perfect. "Oh Harry. You really are quite extraordinary," she breathed.

Harry took her hands in his and moved his head back in for another whisper. Even if they were in a crowded room she would have been the only one who would have heard it. "I love you Ginerva Molly Weasley."

"I love you Harry James Potter," Ginny whispered back. They each pulled back a little and looked into the other's eyes, smiling.

Ginny was the one to finally break the silence. She ran her hands down his chest and they came to a halt very suggestively by his trouser buttons. "It's a shame there isn't something we could do to celebrate. After all, it's still early in the morning and all the shops and restaurants are still closed."

"Mmmm hmmm," Harry said catching on. He gradually began to walk backwards towards the bedroom, pulling Ginny with him. "A damn shame that we will just have to stay here and think of something. Something that we both like to do very much, something that doesn't require us to leave the flat."

"If only, if only," Ginny purred as she started to undo the knot in the tie around Harry's bathrobe, which she was still wearing. "You know, I think I'll stay here just a little longer."

Harry slammed the bedroom door.


	2. A Chat

**Disclaimer: Potterverse belongs to J.K. Rowling.**

Chapter 2: A chat

Ginny stayed at Harry's for quite some time. Enough time for the Auror department to send someone calling through the floo network. Ginny and Harry felt quite disturbed when their happy morning was broken up by none other than Ron shouting from the living room.

"Harry! Harry! HARRY!" Ron's voice called. "Are you in?" The voice dulled from a holler to a grumble as they heard, "bloody hell. He's probably gone after some dark wizard without telling anyone or gotten himself kidnapped or something. Lucky he has me as his best friend to save him from all these predicaments."

Ginny couldn't stop herself from smirking at her brother's comments. Harry couldn't stop himself from shouting back "It's all right Ron, I'm still here safe and alive." He rolled out from the sheets and threw on the same trousers he had been wearing earlier that day.

Ginny could hear Harry and Ron voices from the bedroom, but decided it was best not to eavesdrop. Instead she took the opportunity to indulge her girlish whims and admire the ring now fixed on her left hand.

Harry was having much less fun on the other side of the wall, as he came to see Ron's head floating inside his fireplace.

"What the bloody hell do you want Ron?" Harry asked.

Ron seemed none too ashamed of barging in on Harry's personal flat. "What do you mean what do I want? Nearly the entire day has gone by and not only have we not seen you, but we haven't heard from you. Not that I can say I blame you. No one recalls you having ever called in sick or having taken a personal day from the office. It's good to take a day off mate, just let us know will you?"

"Right Ron," Harry conceded, "thanks for the advice. See you tomorrow then?" Harry wheeled around and made for the bedroom.

"So why have you decided to take the day off then?" Ron questioned, oblivious to Harry's obvious impatience. "I mean what on Earth have you been doing with yourself? You're hardly dressed, your hair's messier than normal…" Ron trailed off as he began to piece two and two together.

Harry, seeing the cogs turning in Ron's brain, felt the need to come up with something and fast. "Well… er… Ron."

"Why so twitchy Harry?" Ron interrupted. And then looking past Harry towards the bedroom door (a very impressive feat given he was still a mere head floating in Harry's living room) he bellowed "GINNY!"

Ginny had been happily admiring her ring when she heard Ron's voice booming through the apartment. "GINNY! I KNOW YOU ARE IN THERE!" Throwing on Harry's bathrobe she decided to peek her head through the door.

"Hello Ron," she offered sheepishly. "How's it going?"

"How's it going? How's it going?! I'll tell you how it's going! I've just caught my sister being… tampered… with by some boy! That's how it's going. I swear to Merlin that if I could whollop you both right now I would!"

"Ron!" Ginny exclaimed, her sheepishness being replaced by annoyance, "did you honestly just address Harry as some boy?! He's your best friend!"

Harry, who unlike Ginny was feeling just as foolish as when Ron had first hollered Ginny's name, tried appeasing his friend. "Ron. Ron, you had to know that Ginny and I were… I mean, I know we never talked about it mate but c'mon."

Ron turned his glare from Ginny and affixed it to Harry. "Well I assumed that maybe, yes, I mean… You slept with my sister! And I never had to worry about it did I? So long as it never interfered with daily life I could pretend it wasn't happening. But now this! I have half a mind to tell mum and dad!"

"Ron! Honestly you can't go telling mum and dad before we've had the chance!"

Ginny's interruption caught Ron off guard. He turned back to her as the color in his face started to turn back to normal. "Wait you were planning on telling mum and dad about your having… sex?"

This time it was Ginny's turn to try and placate Ron. "No, Ron. We mean you can't go telling mum and dad about us because we're engaged. And we wanted to be the ones to break the news to them obviously."

Ron looked from Ginny to Harry, "is she being serious?" He managed to ask. And then Ron saw it. He saw Harry break into the biggest grin that he had ever donned.

"Ron, Ginny is my fiancée."

Ron didn't know if he could take this. Harry was his best mate and Ginny his little sister. Why the thought that the two of them had… And that Harry had gotten engaged without asking him first!

Ron spoke in very slowly, as if speaking rapidly might cause his face to turn even more purple. "You two are engaged. To be married. As in you will become Ginny Molly Potter."

"Yup!" Ginny grinned, "that's about right."

Ron let out a long, low whistle. "Well then Harry, as my best mate I offer you my heartiest congratulations. Obviously you couldn't have done better than a Weasley. But Harry, as Ginny's older brother I can promise you that if you hurt her I will see to it that you spend the rest of your life in St. Mungo's. Agreed?"

"Don't worry Ron. I think I could easier hurt myself than hurt Ginny. I love her more than I have ever loved anything in this world. She's the most intelligent, interesting, beautiful, kind person I have ever or will ever meet. And if anything were to ever happen to her, it would be the same as my heart being ripped straight from my chest."

At Harry's proclamation Ron seemed abated from his previous fury. "Well all right then. Congratulations to both of you. I'll tell the office you had to take a personal day."

"Oh and Ron," Ginny jumped in before his head disappeared from Harry's living room, "please don't tell mum and dad. That's something we need to do."

"Right, of course. Congrats again guys!" And with that, Ron's head was gone from Harry's living room leaving only a faint odor and their ringing in their ears as proof that he had come.

Ginny turned towards Harry expecting to see him wearing the same expression she imagined on her own face. Instead he was staring into the fireplace where Ron's head had just been.

"What's the matter?" She asked.

"Oh it's nothing," came Harry's stoic response. "It's just that I am suddenly keenly aware that you have five older brothers. And a dad."

"Why?" Ginny probed deeper, "you aren't planning on hurting me, are you?"

"Course not Gin," said Harry, finally grinning. "It's just that we have done things they may not exactly approve of. And I want to do all sorts of things that I know they won't approve of."

Ginny draped her arms around his neck and gave her voice a subtle, alluring quality. "Why Harry James, I never knew you had it in you."

Harry bent his lips down to meet hers "bullshit Gin. You totally knew."

"Yes," she laughed, agreeing. "I did. But we should go get ready. I'm thinking that the sooner we tell my mum and dad, the better."

Ginny grabbed his wrist to check the time and then ran off to his bedroom, where she had left all of her clothes. Eyeing the bedroom door Harry finally shrugged and headed towards his bathroom. He needed to look presentable if he was going to ask Mr. and Mrs. Weasley to accept him into their family. "Give me ten minutes Ginny," he called before heading in to the shower. He needed at least that much time to cool off.


	3. A Hurricane

**Disclaimer: Potterverse belongs to J.K. Rowling**

Chapter 3: A Hurricane

Harry was pacing awkwardly in the garden behind the Burrow while Ginny sat inside with his family. It seemed that two halves of his head were yelling at each other. The one half, the one that was making him pace, was coming up with all sorts of terrible, nightmarish scenarios. He could see the elder Weasleys talking Ginny out of her engagement. He pictured Mrs. Weasley fainting at such a terrible prospect, and Mr. Weasley chasing Harry off of the property. A frightening picture of a teary eyed Mrs. Weasley informing Harry that he just wasn't good enough for her daughter, and could he please stop coming around so often. Shaking his head Harry tried to clear himself of all of these images.

A smaller voice at the back of his head, the voice of reason that sounded eerily like Hermione, was telling him that he was worrying for nothing. The Weasleys had as good as welcomed him into their family already. They had never done anything but smile and voice approving words towards his relationship with their only daughter.

But then the fearful emotional voice would counter back that maybe the problem was that Ginny was their only daughter. What if they wanted her with someone who had a normal childhood, who hadn't spent more than half of his life so far tainted by Voldemort? What if they were afraid Harry would leave Ginny again because he had to go chasing after some other dark wizards? What if they thought that his job was too dangerous, and he just wasn't the kind of guy that they wanted for their daughter?

His Hermione voice told him to calm down. That not a single Weasley, not Ron, not Bill, not even Ginny herself had ever blamed him for leaving. He had only left her in the physical sense, his heart had belonged to her since he was sixteen years old and they knew it. They knew that he had done it only to keep her safe, and never was it because he didn't love her. They knew that Harry would put Ginny, both her heart and her safety, above all else.

"Or maybe," his scared brain argued back "only you know it Harry, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley simply think that you are just a waffling fool when it comes to their daughter."

While Harry was having his inner battle an argument of a different type was occurring inside The Burrow.

"Seriously mum! It's not that big a deal!"

"How would you know? Have you been through anything like this before? Do you think that just because you lived through the Great War that means you suddenly know how to live?"

"But mum you are always trying to control me and now I finally have something I want to do and you are just preventing me from do it for your own selfish reasons!"

"SELFISH! You dare call me selfish when I was the one who raised you? When I brought you up to the responsible, respectable human being who you are now?"

"But that's just it mum! You call me responsible and respectable but you don't actually mean it! If you did you would lay off and let me live my own life!"

"This is ridiculous! Where is your father? Arthur! ARTHUR?! Come talk some sense into your son. He thinks he can just fly off to America because it will 'aid his career.' Please come and speak some reason into Percy!"

As it turns out Arthur was busy sitting upstairs in one of the old bedrooms. He was watching Harry pace back and forth in their garden, muttering to himself. Arthur could have sworn he saw him come up the walk with Ginny so where was she? Something about this sight seemed awfully familiar to him, but he couldn't place his finger on what it was.

As he sat considering his could-as-well-have-been-son's sojourn in the garden he heard Molly hollering for him. He figured that Percy's proposition didn't go over as well as either would have liked. Given his experience with his family's temper Arthur figured it would be best to let both of them cool off before trying to rationalize either. Arthur knew that Percy was simply acting on old ambitions and that America was the best place to pursue a career in international wizarding law. He also knew that Molly didn't want to hold Percy back but only wanted to hold her family together. With Fred gone Molly had clung to her children even more tightly than she had. It was subtle but Arthur knew that Molly blamed Fred's death on herself and wanted to ensure that her children were all healthy and happy in the best way that she knew how. Sighing, Arthur resigned himself to face the hurricane in the living room. As he turned and started down the stairs he left one fleeting thought on Harry's peculiar and somehow familiar behavior in the garden.

Before Arthur had even reached the living room the front door had slammed and Molly was left alone at the foot of the stairs, shaking and tearing up. "Oh Molly," Arthur soothed as he wrapped an arm around his wife's shoulders, "he's not going to hurt you, you know."

"I know Arthur," Molly's voice answered from somewhere in his chest, "but I just wish that I could keep them all safe and home forever. Why do children have to grow up? It would be much easier if they were all babies and little children who never wanted to go anywhere without their mummy."

Arthur smiled. He couldn't help it. His wife simply imparted too much love. "Molly just think about what extraordinary children you have raised. And you already have two grandchildren! Percy's leaving isn't going to separate the family, with any luck he'll bring home more Weasleys!"

"Oh Arthur," Molly sighed. And Arthur could feel that even though she still had his face buried in his chest, she was smiling too. "Come on, Ginny's been sitting in the kitchen for nearly half an hour."

Drying her eyes and leading the way, Molly led him straight into the kitchen. It was amazing how Ginny stood out against the backdrop of her home. She had grown up there, she had lived there all of her life yet suddenly it seemed she didn't belong there anymore. And that's when Arthur knew. For years to come he would never be able to explain how, he just suddenly saw his daughter, and thought to her boyfriend pacing in the yard. And he remembered how nearly 30 years ago he had done the exact same thing. He had paced in the backyard of Molly's parents' home while she sat in the kitchen, doing all of the talking.

"Hi," Ginny said, offering a tentative smile, "is this a bad time? Because we can always talk another time."

"Don't be silly!" Molly countered sharply "You will sit and talk with us. My fight with Percy was just me being old and not ready to see all you kids grow up even though," she took a staggering breath, "it seems you all have. Now eat! You look as if you haven't any food all day."

"I suppose I haven't" Ginny thought wryly to herself. "Well now's as good a time as any. Besides, they love Harry. This should be easy right?"

She took a deep breath and said, "well mum, dad I have some pretty big news for you myself. I um… I um…"

Molly gave her a piercing stare, "you haven't taken a job in America have you?"

"What? No! I just," Ginny stammered.

"It's all right" Arthur soothed his daughter. "No matter what it is your mother and I love you very much and we want the best for you. Don't we Molly?"

"Well of course we do!" Molly replied. "Ginny dear, I am sorry. Please continue."

Ginny nodded. She would take another deep breath, another try. As she looked up she saw her father's beaming face a crazy thought popped into her head. For a split second she thought he already knew what she was going to say, but that was foolish. How could he possibly know?

Ginny began again, "mum, dad I love you both very much and part of me wants to be a little girl and live at The Burrow forever. But I'm not a little girl anymore, much as you want me to be and I have to accept that. And as much as I love you both so very much the thing is, my heart's different now. And it's different because I love Harry. I love Harry so much that sometimes I think it's going to explode and all that will be left of me is the part that's clinging onto him. I love Harry so much that when I look up at the sky it doesn't look big enough to put all my love for Harry into. He's the most wonderful, caring person I know. And above all else he's my best friend. He's the person that I want to talk to when I am sad and laugh with when I am happy. And so when Harry asked me to marry him this morning, I said 'yes.'" Ginny had said her piece, and dared to glance at her parent's faces.

"Oh Ginny! Of course you are going to marry Harry! Oh we always knew it would happen and now it is! Oh I love you both so very, very much! Where is he?"

"Out fretting in the garden, I'll go talk to him," Arthur answered.

"Thank you dad! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Ginny squealed as she hugged him.

"Of course Ginny, you are my little girl and I want you to be happy. If Harry makes you happy then of course you will have Harry. Now, I have to go see to my future son-in-law."

As Arthur walked out towards Harry's pacing spot in the garden he could only catch snippets of what Molly and Ginny were saying in the kitchen. "Wedding plans no doubt," he thought to himself. "Ah, and there is the man of the hour!"

Harry heard Arthur's footsteps before his voice, calling out his name. "Harry, how have you been?"

"Oh not bad Arthur, not bad" Harry choked out. "Erm, has Ginny spoken to you yet?"

"Yes, she has." Silence hung in the ear for only a few seconds but it was more than Harry could bear.

"Mr. Weasley I love your daughter more than I have loved anything in my entire life. I want to spend every morning waking up to her and every night falling asleep with her. I want to dry every tear she has and see every smile she has. I will do everything in my power to make her happy. If she wants the moon I would give her the moon and if she wants the sea then I would give her the sea. Because your daughter means the world to me and if I wasn't a part of her life then mine would be worth nothing. I love her."

"Well Harry," Arthur smiled, "far be it from me than to keep two people apart who simply want nothing more than to be together. I can't imagine a single man who I would rather see my daughter sharing the rest of her life with. You have my blessing of course."

"Thank you Mr. Weasley! Thank you!" Harry gave Mr. Weasley a great bear hug, as if he had never heard such wonderful words.

"Just one more thing Harry."

"Of course Mr. Weasley, anything."

"Call me Arthur." Harry and Arthur shook on it and walked back to the kitchen together, as their futures were waiting for them both.


	4. A Wok

**Disclaimer: All Potterverse belongs to J.K. Rowling.**

Chapter 4: A Wok

Harry spent the next two weeks of his life in bliss. He couldn't imagine that living with Ginny could be so much fun. But it seems that she was full of constant surprises. Everything from the way that she brushed her hair in the morning to her insistance that she keep her ratty old pillowcase from her childhood was interesting to him. He had never lived with anyone he actually liked, the exception being his dormitory mates at Hogwarts. Still, living with a pretty woman was quite different than living with a group of teenage boys. Take for instance her choice of activity on this particular morning. She found it necessary to organize the kitchen cabinets; while Harry had always thought that so long as everything was somewhere his kitchen was perfectly satisfactory.

"Harry," called Ginny from somewhere behind the counter "how many of these pots and pans do you actually use?"

"There are four or five sitting in the cabinet above the stove. I use those," he answered back.

"Well then why do you keep all of these?" she asked.

"I dunno," he mused. "I guess it just never made sense to me to throw perfectly good utensils away. And you never know, I might need them."

"When Harry? When you're making an omelet or when you're making spaghetti?" Ginny quipped.

"Oh hardee har har. What's the problem anyways? You said you liked my omelets!"

"Harry," Ginny said poking her head up from behind the counter, "you're omelets are of course fabulous. But they certainly don't require the plethora of cooking utensils you have accumulated. Why don't you give me a hand anyways?"

"Because Ginny," Harry offered as he flipped through his _Daily Prophet_, "then I couldn't see your bum."

"You can't see my bum anyways Harry, I am on the other side of the counter."

"Ah but you see Ginny," Harry smirked "I am using my imagination." Ginny could feel his proud smile from where she crouched but decided against commenting on the matter.

A few minutes passed in quiet with only Ginny's rummaging and Harry's newspaper rustling as their soundtrack.

"Ginny," Harry said, finally breaking up the quiet. "Did you tell someone at _The Daily Prophet_ that we were getting married?"

A hand poked up from behind the counter holding an interestingly shaped dish. A muffled voice accompanied the hand. "No. What's this?"

"It's called a wok," Harry answered. "Do you know if anyone in your family talked to _The Prophet_ about us?"

"I doubt it but it's always possible. What's a wok?"

"It's the dish in your hand."

"Yes thank you Harry, I gathered that much."

"Some people use it to cook stir fry and other foods. I've never used it before."

"Well then why do you have it?"

"I'm not sure. I suspect someone at the office gave it to me as a housewarming gift and as previously stated I saw no need to throw a perfectly usable gift out. Do you know if any of your friends talked to the prophet about us?"

"I have no idea Harry" Ginny said as she finally looked up from behind the counter. "Why do you keep asking about _The Prophet?_"

Harry turned his newspaper and looked up at his fiancée. "Well Ginny, it would seem that someone wrote an article about us."

Bewildered Ginny came around the counter to see what Harry was talking about. And there sitting on the counter was a picture of the two of them had taken just after the war ended four years ago. Underneath ran a rather lengthy article. The headline above was entitled "Hero of Wizarding World to Wed."

"Huh," Ginny commented as she sat down her wok and picked up the newspaper. "Well let's see what it has to say."

_Harry Potter, 21, is recently engaged to his longtime girlfriend Ginerva 'Ginny' Weasley, 20. The two have only just begun to set their plans, and as thus have yet to set a date or pick a location for the wedding._

_Potter is famous for having survived the killing curse at the mere age of one and then after many years of battles with dark wizards finally defeated He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named. His many triumphs and his great contributions to the overall peace of the wizarding world have led many to proclaim Potter as the greatest wizard of our age._

_His fiancée Weasley has also been known for her contributions to the Great War. She fought bravely as a member of "Dumbledore's Army" and was in the final battle that gave Potter his glory._

_Many romantics are completely abuzz with the announcement of their engagement. Some have proclaimed it is the greatest love story since Shylock and Rosalie, the classic love story of the sixteenth century._

_"It is a great warrior laying down his sword and picking up his heart's desire," proclaims Ivana Mosington, esteemed author of the best selling "Muggle Meets Magic" series and modern classic "Wizarding Heights."_

_Although both Potter and Weasley attended Hogwarts Weasley is the only one of the two to graduate. Although the specifics remain unknown towards his whereabouts during his would-have-been seventh year, it has long been suspected that Potter spent his time hunting down the aforementioned He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named._

_"It's of great relief to me that Potter can overcome his past trials and hardships and move on. It seems to me that nothing could be better for him than settling down with the woman he loves," confided a close source to the pair._

_Currently residing in London, Potter is one of the top aurors at the Ministry of Magic. An inside source confirms rumors that Potter is next in line for head Department of Magical Law Enforcement when current head Pius Thicknesse leaves the post. Further rumors that Potter may be in line for Minister of Magic have yet to be confirmed._

_Growing up in a humble home near Ottery St. Catchpole Weasley is one of seven children. Her parents are Arthur Weasley and Molly Weasley, maiden name Prewett. Her six brothers include William 'Bill' Weasley, Charles 'Charlie' Weasley, Percy Weasley, George Weasley, Fred Weasley (Deceased), and Ronald 'Ron' Weasley._

_The young Miss Weasley currently works for Gringotts as a curse breaker, much like her elder brother Bill before her._

_All though Potter has seldom spoken of his life before eleven, some information can be gleaned. Potter grew up with muggles, (his mother's sister, her husband, and their son). He had no knowledge of his wizarding heritage until receiving his Hogwarts letter. His conditions with the muggles are assumed have been abusive and horrendous, though Potter has never confirmed nor dissuaded these rumors._

_Potter's time at Hogwarts was often disrupted, as even at the young age of eleven Potter began fighting He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named. Again "The Daily Prophet" can only cite speculation but it seems Potter's second encounter was in late May or early June of 1992._

_Potter, as well as the deceased Albus Dumbledore, began to talk of a resurrected Dark Lord as early as the summer of 1995. This was a year before the Ministry of Magic acknowledged his return. Three years later, in June of 1998, Potter defeated He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named, restoring the wizarding world to peace._

_Since, Potter has completely restructured the auror department with the help of his close friend and youngest brother to his fiancée, Ron Weasley. Since Potter and Weasley's arrival in the auror department there has been a reported 87 percent success rate, up from the reported 58 percent success rate ten years prior._

_Potter it seems is finally doing something for himself in marrying Weasley. The entire staff at "The Prophet" wishes him success in his marriage, as he has earned it long ago._

"Huh" Ginny remarked, setting down the article, "that was actually a very nice piece. It's not surprising they found out though. You are rather famous Harry. Harry?"

Ginny looked over at her fiancée, who wasn't paying her the slightest bit of attention. He was carefully examining the wok.

"Oh sorry Ginny," said Harry perking up. "I was just thinking though, do you think your mum could use this?"

Ginny decided that it would be more trouble that it was worth to respond and settled for a kiss instead.


	5. An Inscription

**That which you recognize, I do not own.**

Chapter 5: An inscription

When Ginny was left alone in the flat she would generally amuse herself in pretty average ways; she tidied up, she caught up on work or she would read _The Prophet_. But sometimes she liked to just sit and think. And since getting engaged she liked to sit, think and stare absentmindedly at her ring. It's not that Ginny was particularly shallow, because she wasn't, but she had grown up without much jewelry, or anything really, to ever show off and so she liked having something that was all her own to show off as much as she pleased.

It was a simple ring. It had a platinum band with a single diamond. To a casual observer it would seem like a perfectly ordinary, although beautiful, engagement ring. The thing about Harry though, was as ordinary as he might look on the outside; it was his inside that made him extraordinary. On the inside of the band Harry had a personalized inscription engraved: "For loving me, I love you. – Harry." The first time Harry had said those words to her had been nearly four years ago, but she still couldn't help but feel the same rush of warmth when she heard them.

The week follow the battle had been… trying. Hogwarts was a constant bundle of activity, as it seemed like the entire wizarding world had congregated there. First people came to pay their respects to where so many had fallen. They came to try and find old friends whom they had lost touch with over the last couple of years. They came because it seemed to be the thing to do these days. But for the most part people came because there was a chance, a slim one but still a chance, that they would get to see him.

Most thought that if they would just get to see him, to shake his hand and thank him, that maybe that would be enough time to figure him out. He was their hero, the wizarding world's very own knight in shining armor. Harry, meanwhile, wanted none of it. That's not to say he wasn't visible because he was. He attended the mass memorial held the next morning to pay his respects for all that had fallen. He gave a brief interview to _The Daily Prophet_ saying only that Lord Voldemort was truly dead although hunts for the death eaters would continue, that he advised no imprisonments without trial as had happened after the first war, and that Severus Snape's name should be cleared of all charges relating to the death of Albus Dumbledore. He gave no intimate details of his life over the past year or what he intended to do in the coming days and months. All in all it was a very impersonal interview. In fact, with one notable exception Harry maintained a very low profile in the immediate aftermath of the war.

That one notable exception arose about 7 hours after Voldemort's death. McGonagall took Harry into a separate room with Ron, Hermione and Ginny not far behind. It was there that they learned from the other order members that no one would touch Voldemort's body. Everyone was afraid to move him, and what to do with his body besides. It seemed that they all expected Harry to know how to dispense of the most evil wizard of all time. "I'll take care of it," Harry sighed. "Leave him where he is for now, and I'll deal with it."

"Thank you Harry. We were all just… we couldn't… Thank you," McGonagall smiled. She and the other order members then dispersed to join the festivities. The four of them stayed behind to discuss what to do with his boy.

"Well mate, what do you do with the most evil wizard of our time? Or his body at least?" Ron piqued.

"I dunno," Harry said. "Your guess is as good as mine."

Hermione sat silently for a moment, thinking. "Well, where do you want to dispose of the body Harry? What's appropriate?"

Harry seemed stumped by the question. "Well, it can't be a place where there are lots of people around, because that'll just freak them out," Ron jumped in.  
"And it can't be a place where happy memories could have happened or will ever happen again," Hermione added, "because that's just wrong."

"Okay Harry, so just find a deserted miserable place and drop him there," Ron summed up.

"Right Ron, because I know of so many of those places off hand."

"Burn it Harry," Ginny found herself saying. "There's nowhere that's evil enough for him, no soil that wouldn't be worse off with him in it. You… We have to get rid of whatever traces of Lord Voldemort are left in the world."

The room fell silent as everyone considered this. "She's right," Harry finally murmured. Tonight, when everyone else is asleep, we'll move his body outside of Hogwarts' gates. And then, we'll burn him." They all nodded, agreeing to the final end of Voldemort.

As they turned to leave the room and head back into the great hall Harry made his final statement on the matter, "and please guys, don't tell anyone. No one's death, even his, should be rejoiced. I don't want people dancing and laughing as he goes up in flames. It has to happen, and I'm glad to be rid of him, but to treat Voldemort's death as a joke, well it just wouldn't be right." Hermione and Ron nodded as they left the room. Ginny, unable to think of anything better to do or say, followed suit.

They did burn Voldemort's body that night and as Harry had said it would be, it was a melancholy affair. The four of them felt no need to speak of the matter much after the fact. It was unsaid between them that they did it because they had to, and should feel neither joy nor pain over the matter.

Ginny hadn't gotten the chance to speak to Harry much after that. He was constantly ducking out of interviews, sneaking around the castle for a quiet moment, or attending some type of memorial service. It wasn't until nearly nine days after the battle when she, Ron, Hermione, Neville and Harry were sitting around the Gryffindor common room fire that she felt that things were slightly reverting back to normal.

"Well I suppose we should probably catch up with the rest of the world and head down to the Great Hall. Another feast tonight," Ron thought aloud.

Neville and Ginny agreed, although half-heartedly.

"Uh huh," said Harry hardly looking up from his parchment, "let me wait until I finish this letter."

"Right mate, we'll see you down there then?" Ron asked.

"Yeah," Harry nodded. "Ginny, come look at this for a second and tell me if you think this sounds right."

"Harry, why don't you ask Hermione? She is the…" but whatever Ron was about to say he never got to finish because Hermione grabbed both him and Neville by the elbows and herded them out of the common room. Upon reflection Ginny probably should have seen what was coming next, but at the time she had so innocently thought that Harry wanted actual help with his letter.

"What's it you want me to have a look at Harry?" She asked.

Harry raised one eyebrow, "What?"

"Harry you asked me to have a look at your letter," she continued walking over to him. "Or have you already forgotten?" She leaned over his shoulder to have a closer look at the parchment. She never got a chance to see what it said though.

She had remembered that kissing Harry felt good and right and safe, but she had apparently forgotten that it was also mind blowingly fantastic.

Even later that night Ginny couldn't quite remember how she and Harry had managed to get up to his dormitory without tripping over anything and dying. They were far more concerned with maintaining the deep, lengthy kisses they had going. She did remember the shock she felt when she started feeling Harry remove her shirt and even more shock when she noticed she was doing the same thing to him. After that she stopped remembering the night in words, mostly they were brief flashes of images, sensations and feelings.

Some time later she and Harry weren't moving, they were just laying next to each other, intertwined, holding hands, and staring into each other's eyes. They were also smiling like fools, but neither seemed to particularly mind.

"I missed you Ginny," Harry finally said.

"I missed you too, Harry."

"I thought about you every day."

"I thought about you every day."

"I really, really like you Ginny."  
"I really, really like you too Harry."

"I like you more than treacle tart, quidditch and sunny days, all combined"

"I like you more than bat bogey hexes, chocolate frogs and trips to Hogsmeade all combined."

"I love you, Ginny."

"I love you too, Harry."

Ginny had thought Harry's smile couldn't get any bigger, but she had clearly been wrong. "I love you. I love you. I love you," he said over and over as he leaned in for another kiss. Ginny couldn't help but respond with everything she had.

"Jesus Christ Ginny," Harry said, breathing heavily as he rolled onto his back, "keep this up and you'll be the death of me."

"Harry Potter, The Chosen One, The Boy-Who-Lived, hero of the wizarding world and defeater of He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named dies at the young age of 17 due to too much sex. You can't deny it would be a catchy headline," Ginny laughed.

Harry snorted. "You know, after years of thinking that I would die in much more sinister ways, I can't deny the appeal of kicking the bucket while between your thighs."

Ginny rolled over and pushed herself up a little so she could look down on the face of the man she loved, the smirk gone from her lips. "Harry, when you were fighting, did you think you would live to see the other side of the war?"

"I hoped I would. On the coldest days, on the darkest nights, I would see your face and I couldn't feel anything but hope. I hoped I would live, but I thought I would die."

Ginny lay back down, her head on his shoulder and started tracing her finger along his chest. "I knew you would live. I knew you would live because to know anything else, to imagine or think of any other alternative would have killed me."

"Thank you Ginny."

"For what?"

"For believing in me. For giving me hope. For saving my soul. For loving me."

"Harry, I can't help but be there for you. I guess this is something you're going to have to put up with for awhile."

"Wait which?" Ginny looked up to see a smirk growing across his face. "The soul saving and hope giving or the amazingly naughty sex?"

"All of the above Harry."

"Ginny Weasley, have I mentioned that I love you?" Harry smiled as he leaned in for another kiss.

"I love you, Harry Potter." Ginny managed to get out before fully descending into another world of feelings and sensation.

"It's definitely the inside that's extraordinary," Ginny said aloud to no one in particular.


End file.
